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CONTACTS : Reiko Sato (Japan)
Y's Therapeutics Co., Ltd.
+011 81 3 5784-2762
media.relations@ysthera.com

Debra Bannister (US Media)
530 676-8001
debban@pacbell.net

Y's Therapeutics and Lonza Announce Development / Manufacturing Agreement
- Another Milestone for Y's YSCMA Program -

Tokyo, Japan - April 6, 2004 - Y's Therapeutics, a privately held biopharmaceutical company (Tokyo, Japan), and Lonza Group Limited (Basel, Switzerland) today announced an agreement in which Lonza Biologics will collaborate with Y's on cell line construction and production of a humanized monoclonal antibody for YSCMA program, one of Y's Therapeutics' leading projects in the area of cancer and immune diseases.

Y's Therapeutics is currently developing the humanized therapeutic monoclonal antibody for its YSCMA program. Y's Therapeutics has been seeking a custom manufacturing company to secure high-yielding cell lines and antibody manufacturing capacity. The agreement with Lonza Biologics allows Y's Therapeutics to access their GS Gene Expression System for the creation of a production-grade cell line and their antibody manufacturing expertise.

"We are pleased to have a contract with Lonza, a leader of custom antibody manufacturers," stated Mr. Masanori Murayama, Co-founder, President and CEO of Y's Therapeutics. "Demand for qualified manufacturing technology and facilities is very high in the industry, and it is considered extremely competitive to secure ample manufacturing capacity when developing antibody therapeutics. I believe that entering into an agreement with a high-profile company like Lonza confirms our confidence in YSCMA's promising viability. Lonza's participation in the YSCMA project will enable us to target the commencement of pre-clinical studies by the end of this year.

"We are very pleased to be working with Y's Therapeutics and to support them through the next phases of their clinical programs,"said Renê Imwinkelried, Head R&D Biopharmaceuticals, Lonza. "We want to continue to service biopharmaceutical companies needs at every stage in the development of their products. This contract is a further step to strengthen our pipeline in the area of biopharmaceuticals."

About Y's Therapeutics
Y's Therapeutics, www.ysthera.com, is a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing truly effective next-generation drugs with a focus on antibody therapeutics and small molecule products for cancer, autoimmune diseases and inflammatory diseases. Y's Therapeutics was founded in March 2003 on the study of Chikao Morimoto, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, The Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo and University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center (UTMDACC), and Nam Hoang Dang, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, UTMDACC. Y's Therapeutics currently has five potential projects in the pipeline and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

About Lonza
Lonza is a life sciences driven company, headquartered in Switzerland, which generated sales of CHF 2.24 billion in 2003. It operates 18 production and R&D facilities in eight countries and employs 5660 people worldwide. Lonza is one of the leading custom manufacturers of chemical intermediates and active ingredients as well as biopharmaceuticals for the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. In addition, Lonza also offers organic intermediates for a wide range of applications and provides antimicrobial and associated products as well as polymer intermediates and compounds. For more information please visit the company's website at wwww.lonza.com.

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